Tory candidate Tina Olivero draws Twitter ire after health comments
Tina Olivero, a PC party candidate in St. John's, is facing some backlash after publishing tweets about health care, including claims that self-awareness can trump medicine in curing disease.
- Kathie Hicks, Tina Olivero, Alison Stoodley running for PCs
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Olivero, who is running for the Tories in St. John's East-Quidi Vidi, has been tweeting her thoughts on mental health and cancer treatment this week.
"Mental Health - More medication and sedation is not the answer. (some yes)," wrote Olivero, an entrepreneur and speaker who runs a company called Transform with Tina, and who also publishes a magazine for the oil and gas industry.
"Most need an entirely new solution starting with self awareness."
Mental Health - More medication and sedation is not the answer. (some yes) Most need an entirely new solution starting with self awareness.
—@olivero_tinaThe tweet created a buzz on social media Tuesday, and fuelled a further discussion on mental health and alternative medicine.
Olivero responded to the offence that some people — including comedian Mark Critch — took to her tweet by clarifying that she felt self-awareness was effective in treating cancer.
<a href="https://twitter.com/markcritch">@markcritch</a> I was referring to cancer - epilepsy I can't say with certainty - haven't seen it work in that case.
—@olivero_tinaThis only created a further reaction, and a greater backlash on social media.
<a href="https://twitter.com/olivero_tina">@olivero_tina</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/markcritch">@markcritch</a> So I was widowed at age 30 because my husband wasn't self-aware enough about his cancer? Well now I feel better.
—@Miss_Close<a href="https://twitter.com/olivero_tina">@olivero_tina</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/markcritch">@markcritch</a> Thank god you told me. I'll tell my 7yr old who's been fighting Leukemia for 2 yrs he just needs to be self aware
—@MegnoliasOlivero was then asked in a Twitter exchange to cite a study supporting her claim that medication or radiation is not necessary for cancer treatment.
She shared a blog post that made claims of curing cancer with distilled water due to the placebo effect.
Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC Radio's White Coat, Black Art, later responded to the content of the article, calling it "distilled drivel" that could not be relied upon as a treatment.
Reliably? Consistently? So that you can establish a probability that might inform one's consent? 100% no. <a href="https://t.co/kLkdq7kwQ8">https://t.co/kLkdq7kwQ8</a>
—@NightShiftMDPaul Davis responds
PC Party Leader Paul Davis was asked about Olivero's comments at a campaign stop Wednesday.
Davis, himself a cancer survivor, said that he had not seen all the comments Olivero had made.
"There are varying views on health care and treatments and how those things happen, and I think we live in a society where we should invite those conversations and allow people to exchange their viewpoints and she has done that," Davis said.
"I believe that chemotherapy saved my life, but I invite people to share their views."
Olivero, who engaged rapidly with critics late Tuesday and Wednesday morning, has not replied to multiple requests from CBC News for comment.